WHAT HO? WITHIN THERE!

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2992, 27 January 1881, Page 3

WHAT HO? WITHIN THERE!

Actors have hard times as well as other folks, and the experience of the talented. Mr Masher proves it. It appears he was playing in a piece which required him, at a very thrilliug point to pull a handkerchief from the hip pocket of another actor and present it to the heroine with some very glowing words. The other actor, Mr Snigg, was somewhat adicted to the use of liquor, and while dressing for the performance he got too full and went to sleep. Then some of the other actors removed the handkerchief from, his pocket, and, cutting a hole in the pocket, drew a corner of Mr Snigg's shirt into it. It was a peculiarity of Mr Masher that when he acted he got so dead in earnest that nothing could stop him, and when it oame to the handkerchief scene, and ho rushed up to the only half-awake Snigg, he grabbed for the handkerchief and found it didn't come, but he failed to notice the situation. The piece could'nt go on till he produced the handkerchief, so he gave another desperate tug. The only result was that a wild look came into Snigg's eye, and he tried to whisper to Masher that there was something wrong. But Masher didn't understand. The people were waiting for him; it was an awkward pauao. Masher was a man of great strength, and he gave a last desperate tug at what lie believed was the handkerchief. It came, but with a sound of tearing, and Snigg was yanked right off his feet, and his eyc3 nearly burst from their sockets from the pressure on his throat before the neckband broke. Masher got most of the garment except the sleeves, and the sudden disappearance of Snigg's shirt bosom created much excitement in the audience. Even then Masher didn't notice what he had done, and, rushing forward, tendered the garment to the heroine. But she screamed and fainted, and the audience began to yell, and Snigg, having recovered his breath, became terribly mad, and made a rush at Masher with a property sword, and chased him about, and the stage manager, who was nearly wild, jumped in and declared that Masher had disgraced his house, and then the curtain went down, and a little while after the manager came in front of it with a black eye and dismissed the atidience. Snigg and Mather both want situations and each others gore. —Boston Post-